Puzzle.



G. S. WOOD.

PUZZLE.

APPLIOATION rnnn nu 9, 1911.

999,940. Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

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GEORGE S. WOOD, OF GREENLAWN, NEW YORK.

PUZZLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. VVooD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Greenlawn, county of Suffolk, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a full, clear, and ex act specification.

This invention relates more particularly to a class of puzzles wherein a plurality of balls are required to be directed in a special manner in order to solve the puzzle.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a form of puzzle designed to be of an interesting and amusing character by reason of requiring the exercise of skill, patience and practice to accomplish a solution thereof, and wherein a plurality of balls are employed which must be grouped together in a closure so as to be thrown simultaneously upon a series of steps or platforms arranged on different relative planes and each ball finally disposed separately in a recess or pocket provided upon the top of the steps.

A further object of the invention is to provide a puzzle which may be inexpensive to manufacture and susceptible of being made in various desired sizes.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of puzzle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan thereof, and Fig. 3 is a section through the upper part of the device.

The puzzle 10 has a closure, as 11, consisting of a base-plate or floor 12 which is preferably square or substantially rectangular in shape, and at the edge of said base-plate is an upwardly projecting flange or wall 14.

Above the closure 11 is provided a platform 15. The platform 15 is substantially rectangular in shape and is supported between the upper part of two spaced standards 16 and 17 which may be of preferred lengths so that said platform may be ele-, vated any suitable height from the baseplate or floor 12. Upon the platform 15 is a vertically disposed casing 18 having an open front, and in the interior of said casing are a plurality of spaced vertical walls 19 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 9, 1911.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Serial No. 626,052.

between which are a plurality of recesses or pockets 20. The standards 16 and 17 are positioned at spaced intervals substantially midway of the closure 11. Between the standards 16 and 17 and the flange or wall 14 is a raceway 21 over which a plurality of balls 22 are adapted to be moved, and which are employed for accomplishing a solution of the puzzle 10, as will be hereinafter more fully described. One of the lengthwise edges of each of the standards 16 and 17 is formed on an incline, and at saaced intervals between said standards 2,1 a plurality of steps which are disposed on different relative planes. The steps 23 are alike in formation, and said steps are arranged so that one edge of each is flush with the inclined edges of the standards 16 and 17. This edge of each of the steps 23 is ridged or provided with an enlarged curved part, as 24, and upon the opposite edge of each of said steps is an upwardly projecting part or flange 25. In the puzzle I prefer to employ four of the steps 23, four of the recesses or pockets 20 and four of the balls 22.

To perform a solution of the puzzle the closure 11 is held between the fingers of the hands of a person and the ,standards 16 and 17 are supported between the thumbs. The closure is guided so that the balls 22 will be grouped in the raceway 21 in front of the lower step 23, and the closure is then moved so as to throw the balls simultaneously in the air a sufficient distance and caught upon the lower step 23 between the standards 16 and 17. WVhen the balls 22 are upon the lower step they are grouped at the ridge 24 thereof by properly poising the closure 11, and said closure is again moved to throw the balls 22 in the air so as to be caught upon the second step. The balls 22 are likewise balanced in a group upon the second step from where they are thrown so as to be similarly caught in succession upon the third and fourth steps and thence upon the platform 15. By moving the closure 11 in various directions each of the balls 22 may then be guided singly or successively into one of the pockets 20 of the casing 18 and by which a solution of my puzzle is accomplished.

In the foregoing description I have embodied the preferred form of my invention, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I am aware that modiparting from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, therefore I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

1. A puzzle of the character described, comprising a closure; an elevated platform provided within the closure; a casing provided upon the platform and having a plurality of pockets therein; and a plurality of balls movable within the closure and adapted when said closure is moved in a proper manner to be thrown in the air so as to be caught upon the platform and each ball subsequently guided into one of the pockets of said casing.

2. A puzzle of the character described, comprising a substantially rectangular closure; an elevated platform provided within the closure and having a plurality of pockets thereupon; and a plurality of balls movable within the closure and adapted when said closure is moved in a proper manner to be thrown in the air so as to be caught up on the platform and each ball subsequently guided into one of the pockets.

3. A puzzle of the character described, comprising a substantially rectangular supporting plate; a wall arranged upon the plate whereby a closure is provided; an elevated platform provided upon the plate within the wall thereof; and having a plurality of pockets thereupon; and a plurality of balls movable within the closure and adapted when the supporting plate and wall are moved in a proper manner to be thrown in the air so as to be caught upon the platform and each ball subsequently guided into one of the pockets.

1. A puzzle of the character described, comprising a substantially rectangular sup porting plate; a wall arranged upon the plate whereby a closure is provided; a platform provided above the plate and having a plurality of pockets thereupon; two spaced standards arranged upon the supporting plate approximately midway of the wall thereof and supporting said platform; a plurality of steps provided between the standards; and a plurality of balls movable within the closure and adapted when the supporting plate and wall are moved in a proper manner to be thrown in the air so as to be caught upon each of the steps in a succession and upon said platform and each ball subsequently guided into one of the pockets.

5. A puzzle of the character described, comprising a substantially rectangular supporting plate; a wall arranged upon the plate whereby a closure is provided; a platform provided above the plate; two spaced standards arranged upon the supporting plate midway of the wall thereof and supporting said platform, each of said standards having an inclined edge; a vertically disposed casing provided upon the platform and having an open front; a plurality of spaced partitions within the casing whereby a plurality of recesses are provided in said casing; a plurality of steps provided between the standards, each of said steps having a ridge upon one of its edges which is flush with the inclined edge of each of the standards; and a plurality of balls movable within the closure and adapted when the supporting plate and wall are moved in a proper manner to be thrown in the air so as to be caught upon each of the steps in succession and upon said platform and each ball subsequently guided into one of the recesses of said casing.

This specification signed and witnessed this eighth day of May A. D. 1911.

GEORGE S. WOOD.

"Witnesses:

RoBT. B. ABBOTT, E. M. JERKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

